Drinking Gourd Elementary School

My daughter goes to Drinking Gourd and my younger daughter will go next year. DG have a small multi age class and very experienced teachers. The children work in a "contract system" and have a menu and tasks that they perform individually and with one-on-one teacher guidance. Prior to making my decision, I visited and I saw a boy working at a station completely absorbed. It is private but with excellent financial aid. While the philosophy is not competitive between students, students excel and are well prepared for their further studies. They are empowered, independent, and are developing an ego founded on openness toward others, patience, and perseverance in a safe environment. While the pedagogy of the school seems to draw upon alternative school best practices, the over arching philosophy is essentially feminist, which means to me that it is gender neutral and not by default male-centric. There is a critical eye cast toward casual cultural assumptions. I think both boys and girls benefit from that. Bottom line is my daughter loves school and my youngest can't wait to go.

My son is in his 5th year at Drinking Gourd and it's been a great elementary school experience. The kids learn how to build relationships and respect each other as well as care for the world around them.